A vending machine system for loading and dispensing pre-baked unpackaged food including a fixed cartridge disposed in a refrigerator of a vending machine, and a transport cartridge adapted to removably attach to the fixed cartridge, the transport cartridge operable for holding trays of unpackaged food and loading the trays of unpackaged food from the transport cartridge into the fixed cartridge, wherein, when the transport cartridge is removably attached to the fixed cartridge, a front opening of the transport cartridge aligns with a front opening of the fixed cartridge, and wherein the rack of the transport cartridge aligns with the conveyor system of the fixed cartridge such that trays of unpackaged food within the transport cartridge can simultaneously be transitioned from the rack to the conveyor system.

A vending machine system for loading and dispensing pre-baked unpackaged food including a fixed cartridge disposed in a refrigerator of a vending machine, and a transport cartridge adapted to removably attach to the fixed cartridge, the transport cartridge operable for holding trays of unpackaged food and loading the trays of unpackaged food from the transport cartridge into the fixed cartridge, wherein, when the transport cartridge is removably attached to the fixed cartridge, a front opening of the transport cartridge aligns with a front opening of the fixed cartridge, and wherein the rack of the transport cartridge aligns with the conveyor system of the fixed cartridge such that trays of unpackaged food within the transport cartridge can simultaneously be transitioned from the rack to the conveyor system.

A vending machine system for loading and dispensing pre-baked unpackaged food including a fixed cartridge disposed in a refrigerator of a vending machine, and a transport cartridge adapted to removably attach to the fixed cartridge, the transport cartridge operable for holding trays of unpackaged food and loading the trays of unpackaged food from the transport cartridge into the fixed cartridge, wherein, when the transport cartridge is removably attached to the fixed cartridge, a front opening of the transport cartridge aligns with a front opening of the fixed cartridge, and wherein the rack of the transport cartridge aligns with the conveyor system of the fixed cartridge such that trays of unpackaged food within the transport cartridge can simultaneously be transitioned from the rack to the conveyor system.

A vending machine system for loading and dispensing pre-baked unpackaged food including a fixed cartridge disposed in a refrigerator of a vending machine, and a transport cartridge adapted to removably attach to the fixed cartridge, the transport cartridge operable for holding trays of unpackaged food and loading the trays of unpackaged food from the transport cartridge into the fixed cartridge, wherein, when the transport cartridge is removably attached to the fixed cartridge, a front opening of the transport cartridge aligns with a front opening of the fixed cartridge, and wherein the rack of the transport cartridge aligns with the conveyor system of the fixed cartridge such that trays of unpackaged food within the transport cartridge can simultaneously be transitioned from the rack to the conveyor system.

A storage and dispensing station for a blister packaging machine for drug portions includes a base electrically coupled to the blister packaging machine and configured to dissipate an electrical charge to the blister packaging machine. A storage container is disposed on the base and includes a housing defining a receiving chamber for drug portions, a cylindrical receiving chamber and a bottom surface. A singulating device is rotatably disposed in the cylindrical receiving chamber and has multiple channels extending along the singulating device and parallel with a rotational axis of the singulating device. The singulating device also includes an electrically conductive coupling and a drive for rotating the singulating device. The singulating device is electrically conductive at least at an outer surface of the singulating device, and the outer surface comes into contact with drug portions. A conductor device provides an electrically conductive coupling between the outer surface and an electrical contact.

A storage and dispensing station for a blister packaging machine for drug portions includes a base electrically coupled to the blister packaging machine and configured to dissipate an electrical charge to the blister packaging machine. A storage container is disposed on the base and includes a housing defining a receiving chamber for drug portions, a cylindrical receiving chamber and a bottom surface. A singulating device is rotatably disposed in the cylindrical receiving chamber and has multiple channels extending along the singulating device and parallel with a rotational axis of the singulating device. The singulating device also includes an electrically conductive coupling and a drive for rotating the singulating device. The singulating device is electrically conductive at least at an outer surface of the singulating device, and the outer surface comes into contact with drug portions. A conductor device provides an electrically conductive coupling between the outer surface and an electrical contact.

An automatic vending machine includes a cabinet, a plurality of item columns, a pickup port and a delivery apparatus, and the delivery apparatus includes a hopper and a hopper drive mechanism. An item dispensing method of the automatic vending machine includes: determining, according to items to be purchased, all of item combination manners having a lowest number of item dispensing operations as candidate item combination manners; determining all of pickup manners for picking up items in each of the candidate item combination manners; determining all of item dispensing paths in one-to-one correspondence to all of pickup manners of all of the candidate item combination manners; and selecting, from all of the item dispensing paths, an item dispensing path having a highest efficiency as a target item dispensing path, and controlling, based on the target item dispensing path, the hopper to dispense items.

An automatic vending machine includes a cabinet, a plurality of item columns, a pickup port and a delivery apparatus, and the delivery apparatus includes a hopper and a hopper drive mechanism. An item dispensing method of the automatic vending machine includes: determining, according to items to be purchased, all of item combination manners having a lowest number of item dispensing operations as candidate item combination manners; determining all of pickup manners for picking up items in each of the candidate item combination manners; determining all of item dispensing paths in one-to-one correspondence to all of pickup manners of all of the candidate item combination manners; and selecting, from all of the item dispensing paths, an item dispensing path having a highest efficiency as a target item dispensing path, and controlling, based on the target item dispensing path, the hopper to dispense items.

A system and method for a vending machine is provided. One embodiment has a user interface configured to receive a plurality of user selections of a plurality of food products of interest from the user; a robotic system configured to transport a container to a plurality of food tanks to receive food products dispensed from selected ones of the plurality of food tanks, wherein a unique machine readable code is printed on an outside surface of at least one of the container and a container seal; and a scanner configured to scan the machine readable code. Wherein prior to delivery of the container with the machine readable code, the controller system controls the robotic system so that the scanner acquires the machine readable code, and wherein the controller system associates at least food product information with the received machine readable code information.

A system and method for a vending machine is provided. One embodiment has a user interface configured to receive a plurality of user selections of a plurality of food products of interest from the user; a robotic system configured to transport a container to a plurality of food tanks to receive food products dispensed from selected ones of the plurality of food tanks, wherein a unique machine readable code is printed on an outside surface of at least one of the container and a container seal; and a scanner configured to scan the machine readable code. Wherein prior to delivery of the container with the machine readable code, the controller system controls the robotic system so that the scanner acquires the machine readable code, and wherein the controller system associates at least food product information with the received machine readable code information.